Improvement in farm-gates



NTTED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

SHEPHERD H. WHEELER, OF NILES, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN FARM'GATES.

Specii'ication forming part of Letters Patent No. 151,068, dated May 19,1874; application led A January 8, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, SHEPHERD H. WHEELER, of Niles, Berrien county andState of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement inFarm-Gates, described as follows:

The nature ot' this invention relates to the Y constructionof'fa-rm-gates of the class that slide lendwise about half of theirlength in opening and then swing to a position at right angles to thegateway, the object being to provide for supporting the entire weight ofthe gate on rollers by mea-ns of a portable traniway.

The accompanying drawing forms a part of this specication, in which-Figure l shows a side View of the gate when shut. the gate part open.

Letters of reference are marked on the drawing, of which A representsthe gate. This may be made without braces, and of ordinary constructiongenerally of gates of this class, and needs no further description here.B C represent the gate-posts. The rear post, B, is provided with (on theinner and front faces) a shoulder near the upper end, as seen at a. Drepresents a bar, one end of which rests-on the shoulder a, to which itis loosely pivoted. The other end is supported at about the middle ofthe gateway by the short post d. This post rests lon the ground or othersuitable foundation,

and stands between the guide-bar E and the lower rail of the gate forthe purpose of steadying the gate. F represents a similar bar attachedto the middle and rear end ot' the upper part of the gate. This bar isset parallel to the bar D, and slides in the notch formed by theshoulder a, and is confined in said shoulder by means of a pin or stapleso applied as to allow the gate to swing to a position at right anglesto the gateway. This bar prevents the rear end of the gate from beingraised, and

Fig., 2 is a View of the same, showing confines the top of the gate tothe post B. Gr represents one or more friction-rollers pivoted to thegate at about midway of the length, so that the gate will `balance onthe roller or rollers, and at such height as that when the roller orrollers rest ou the bar D the gate will be held sufficiently high fromthe ground. The end ot' the bar D that is supported by the short post dis some lower than the end that is supported on the shoulder of the postB. This causes the gate to run shut of its own gravity when opened lessthan half of its length.

Now, it will be seen that the bar D rests on the inner corner of theshoulder a when the gate is shut; but when the gate is shoved open, sothat the roller or rollers Gr pass over thel shoulder a, the heft of thegate will. cause the bar D to lie parallel with the shoulder, which willraise the post d off the ground, and the tramway or bar D will swingwith the gate to a position at right angles to the gateway.

C represents the front post. This is mortised to receive one of theprojecting ends of the gate-rail f to form a latch. H represents afoundation for the posts which I may employ, but is not strictlynecessary, as the posts B C can be set in the ground in the usualmanner.4

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In asliding gate, the portable tramway or bar D, loosely pivoted at one endto the post B, and supported at the other end by means of the short postd, as and for the pur poses set forth.

2. In combination with the gate A and its posts B and C, and guide-barsE and F, and friction-roller G, the bar D and post d, as and for thepurposes hereinbefore set forth.

SHEPHERD H; WHEELER.

Witnesses:

WTLLIAM B. GRAY, MILTON A. LAscELLE.

